


Shuuichi Saihara oneshots (AKA: Saihara is gay with a lot of boys

by RandomGuygoesviral



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different Mastermind (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Human K1-B0 (Dangan Ronpa), I headcannon him as pan but the point stands, I swear to fuck idk why i do this, M/M, New Dangan Ronpa V3 Spoilers, Nonbinary K1-B0 (Dangan Ronpa), Pre-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Robots don't have dicks, Saihara is gay, Why Did I Write This?, thats the plot, these are oneshots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2019-02-22 22:27:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13176498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomGuygoesviral/pseuds/RandomGuygoesviral
Summary: Saiibo,OumaSai,Saimami,Fluff,Angst,Domestic,Canon divergence,Alternative mastermind,Gender swaps.You name it: unless it's smutty or doesn't involve Saihara you might find it here!To be honest, this is an excuse to write cute Saiibo and OumaSai stuff. Sorry if that ends up being all I write about.Expect a mess of prompts, drabbles, challenges, and quotes! And most importantly: enjoy!





	1. Kiibo Takes Care of the Despair Disease (Saiibo)

**Author's Note:**

> (starting off strong with some Despair Fever/Disease! Takes place after chapter two, so no Toujo!)
> 
> Kiibo can't get sick. It's impossible for him to get that way. 
> 
> While Saihara has a high immune system, he's a different story. 
> 
> That's made especially clear when Monokuma announces this... Despair Disease.

This Despair Disease was causing quite the panic, Kiibo had noted. To his knowlage only two people had been affected thus far. Those people being Harukawa, and Yumeno. Kiibo was the one who watched over the two of them, as he couldn't be effected. Ouma was the one who brought that up... Much to Kiibo's dismay. 

Though the fact that he was the one who watched over the girls let him 'Diagnose' what form of the disease they had. Basically finding what trait had swapped with their normal one and naming it after that. In Yumeno's case for example, Kiibo had diagnosed her with the 'Hyperactive Disease'. It was self explanatory, instead of being to tired to do anything- Yumeno constantly bounced off the walls. Harukawa was more shocking though. She had what he had called the 'Affection Disease'. This made her clingy and more loving and caring than normal. 

Kiibo had found that Chabashira and Momota were the most frequent to vist. Though Momota wore a mask and timidly spoke with Maki, Chabashira matched Yumeno's excitment tenfold as they spoke- well screamed. 

Still though... Monokuma had claimed to infect three people with the Despair Disease. He had ruled almost everyone out. It came down to three people, Shirogane, Ouma, and Saihara. Ouma kept going on and off the list... Eventually, Kiibo ruled him out. He had decided that if Ouma were given a Disease it would have to do with telling the truth; yet Ouma still lied just fine. He usef the same reasoning for Shirogane; thinking that she'd probably no longer be plain if she were given the Despair Disease. 

That left... Saihara. As much as he didn't want it to be true: the detective was the only person left. All the others were either already infected, or had proven their innocence. He could only imagine what offset of this Despair Disease Saihara had, nothing good he was sure. Possibly he was less sharp?

Those thoughts pestered at his mind as he left the room the infected girls had been staying at. They started getting more urgent as he got closer to Saihara's room. He was very intrigued, despite his own worry. Eventually though, he was at Saihara's door, and the only thing left to do was knock. 

So he did, calling out," Saihara-Kun! Are you in there?"  
Kiibo didn't bother trying the doorknob, as it was almost certainly locked. 

It took some time, but a muffled reply soon came," Go away!..."

Honestly, Kiibo didn't know what he had expected with that one. That wasn't how you were meant to deal with this situation! Kiibo failed -however- to come up with a better solution, causing him to ask to come in. Only to be met with the same response. 

"Saihara-Kun!... Please let me inside of your room!... Or else I will make Ouma-Kun lockpick your door!" Kiibo shouted, eventually resorting to empty threat. 

That got Saihara's attention apparently, as about thirty seconds later a clocking sound would be heard. The door was opened just a crack, so Kiibo could just see a single golden eye belonging to Saihara. Despite Saihara being quite a bit taller than him, Kiibo felt as though the other male seemed a lot... Smaller. If that made any sense. 

"Please let me in Saihara-Kun... I need to talk to you about Monokuma's newest motive..." Kiibo said, in a polite tone. 

Saihara just made a jerky moment and swung open his door, though He said nothing- pressing his lips together. 

Kiibo took one step in and instantly some thing seemed off. Not only in Saihara's appearance, but also in his room. True, he had never been in it, but previously he had been told how clean it was by Toujo. Saihara's room currently was... Not clean. At all. It was a mess. The male before him was his main concern though. His jittery movements, pressed lips, anxious eyes. 

"Saihara-Kun tell me..." Kiibo started, being unintentionally slightly blunt," do you have the Despair Disease?"

The taller male's eyes flashed fearfully before speaking," I-I th-think... I-I might... Maybe. I-I'm really not sure!" 

A feverish sweat broke out on the detectives forehead as he pressed his lips together. Kiibo analyzed him, watching Saihara start to shift, freeze, and then continue his motion. 

"Aha!" Kiibo shouted," I believe I've figured it out! Saihara-Kun, you're having trouble not second guessing yourself!"

Saihara looked deeply confused by this, muttering," b-but I already d-do that... Don't I?... Wh-why would that be my version of the d-despair disease...? It doesn't make sense- does it? Maybe it does though..."

Kiibo didn't like seeing Saihara this troubled... It made him want to cheer the other male up no matter what. Was that weird? Possibly, but Kiibo for some reason didn't care. 

"I rest my case..." The robot spoke, looking at his classmate calmly," Saihara-Kun... The others have made me take care of Yumeno-San and Harukawa-San... I can take care of you as well. I insist! You won't have to make up your mind at all!"

Suddenly, tears filled in Saihara's eyes. He bent down and pulled Kiibo into a hesitant hug. It switched between lose and tight, and there was even several momentary times where the detective would remove his arms completely. Still though- Kiibo found himself hugging back. Saihara was warmer than him... It made heat rise to his cheeks. 

After a few minutes of hugging each other, Saihara agreed to let Kiibo help him.   
A few minutes later, he looked at Kiibo and said," I might not be able to think clearly... But there's one thing that's stayed consistent. That wants me to say: thank you Kiibo-Kun..." 

"Thank you too Saihara-Kun..." Kiibo thought, though he just offered a small smile.   
Because of Saihara, he now knew how it felt for someone to care so much it made them have extreme feelings for another. 

 

...Thank you...


	2. The scars I earned from his mistake (OumaSai)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soulmate Au: you and your soulmate get the same injuries and scars. If one of you is hurt, so is the other. 
> 
> Offset: You're soulmate is depressed and cutting themselves. You can do nothing to stop them even though they're suffering. 
> 
> Additional: Self harm trigger warning!! Told in first person point of view by Ouma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To Reiterate: This chapter deals with Self Harm and Depression! If you are sensitive to these topics you have been warned!

I hissed and clenched my fist, nails digging into my skin. That probably just made it worse for them, whoever my soulmate was. I didn't deal with pain super well though, could you really blame me? 

I looked down at my forearm and cringed, looking as blood spilled from various slashes in it. They weren't really slashes I guess, they were all deliberate and almost completely straight. Whoever was doing this to themselves... They really thought this hard about self harm, huh? It was sad to think about- I didn't like being sad. 

After a minute, the hell on my wrist ceased a bit and I stood up- once again glad I lived alone. I turned on the faucet since I was literally sitting on a high stool in my bathroom, bleeding into the marble sink bowl. I let the water run over my wrist, as I swung open my medicine cabinet. Letting out a sigh, I grabbed my cotton pads and peroxide. After I set those down I grabbed some water-proof bandaids and an ace bandage. I turned the faucet off after that, letting the cabinet hang open. 

Then, I got to work fixing myself up. Taking the red hand towel that was hung on the wall, I started gently patting my arm dry. After I did that I struggled open the bottle of peroxide and carefully poured it onto "my" cuts. I hissed as the fizzing pain that shot through my arm. I wasn't sure, but it was possible that I was cleaning my soulmate's wound for them.   
After that strange thought I wiped the cuts clean with a cotton pad. Then I put the water-proof bandages on them and wrapped my forearm in the ace bandage. 

When I finished cleaning up my bathroom sink, I checked the purple clock on my wall. 2:27 a.m. At least it wasn't the word "Loser" carved into my calf in the middle of the school day while I was wearing all white. Now: it's not like I hadn't given my partner scars before. I feel very sorry for my Soulmates back, it wasn't my fault I was part of a secret organization! Well, yes it was- but whatever!

I plopped myself onto my bed about there minutes later, groaning and quickly falling asleep. Oh boy, was I not ready for what the next day had in store for me. 

When I woke the next morning I felt normal. The cuts were a dull pain in the back of my mind. I got dressed, remembering to Google the answers to my math homework and I made sure my first-aid bag was completely stalked. It was- hah, like I'd forget something that important. 

I had maybe fifteen minutes to spare, so I grabbed my phone and blared some music through my headphones. I danced around like a lunatic for a while, until I got side-stitch and had to sit down and catch my breath until I left. 

Just as I was getting to the doors of hopes peak academy, I felt a harsh slam to my stomach, making me gasp and shut my eyes momentarily. This was awful. This Soulmate of his had to be a real weak person to get beat on like this. That... Probably wasn't a good thing to think about them. 

By the time I got to my locker I had to lean against it to center myself. This seriously hurt, how could my soulmate handle this shit everyday?! Well, I guess they didn't- judging by my wrist. I had gotten to school a little early despite my dance break so I had time to waste. By that, I meant I was going to by some grape soda from the vending machine. 

Though while I was going to said vending machine, I found myself on the ground from a sharp pain against my chest, covering my mouth quickly. The next thing I heard was a blood-curdling scream followed by crude laughter. Yeah- that probably wasn't a good thing. 

Now- I couldn't actually do much without craving my own death now. But the sounds I just heard face away the fact that two kids were beating another kid (who was quite possibly my soulmate) half to death. So I decided to put my pain aside and saunter over to where I heard the scream. 

What I was met with was... Awful in all honesty. I hated telling the truth, but this was sickening. Two of the most popular girls in school -Tsumugi Shirogane and Miu Iruma- were laughing over a sobbing boy, who was holding his chest as though it was shards of glass. 

"Hey!" I heard myself shout," Cosplay chick, Bitchlet! Back away from the kid! Nishi-shi-shi~ I'm all about cruelty- but this guy looks half dead!"

The boy looked up at me, eyes red from tears but wide and thankful. His eyes were golden in colour, they were really pretty. Though his eyes were quickly knocked to the least of my worries when that waste of space Iruma ran at me. I punched her hard- she deserved it. 

In the end, I had scared off the assholes and walked over to the boy. He was shaking fearfully, tears still threatening to pour from his eyes. It looked as though He opened his mouth to say something to me, but no sound came out. So he shut his mouth and whimpered softly. 

I held out a hand to him," hey... If you can, stand up. You need to get to the nurse..."

He took my hand after a moment and I found that he was... A lot taller than I was. But I was only 5"1, so whatever. I introduced myself; Ouma Kokichi. He took a moment to respond, and when he did I was greeted by a pretty voice. Even for someone in pain. 

"S-Saihara Shuuichi... It's nice to m-meet you..."

When we finally got to the nurse she took one glance at Saihara and signed. Clearly this wasn't the first time this had happened. When she looked at me, though- her eyes widened with confusion. 

"Saihara-San... You're bleeding again... Ouma-San... I'm honestly quite surprised that you're here. But you're bleeding as well, was there a fight?..." The nurse asked, causing Saihara to squeak and me to nod. 

She didn't ask anymore questions, instead telling Saihara to pull his shirt up so she could clean him up. I... Was interested and watched. Several bruises already covered his body and there was a cut in his right rib. I winced everytime Saihara did- and it was getting hard not to think that maybe he was my soulmate. 

My suspicious were confirmed when the nurse moved over to work on me- and I had the exact same injuries. Clearly Saihara saw that fact, because I saw his eyes go wide. 

After a while, the nurse stood," I have to go, stay here and talk to each other if you want..."

"So Saihara-Chan!" I was the first to say anything, and in my normal blunt way I said," let me see your wrist."

He looked at me like I was crazy. Which in all honesty- is kinda true. The thing is: I knew what I was doing. I was growing very sure that Saihara was my soulmate. This situation had to many "coincidences" for it not to be real. He looked at the ground anxiously before silently pulling up both of his sleeves. One wrist was unmarked, While the other was a mess of scars, scabs, and fresh cuts. 

"I-I don't even know why I'm doing this..." Saihara said- sounding ashamed. 

He had a right to be ashamed of himself, because self harm was ridiculous. Though Saihara also had a valid reason for doing so: if today was any example. He was crying again, I don't know how I missed that, but I guess I did. 

"Yeah?" I questioned," Well I do... Because you're compelled to. You can't explain why, but you feel the urge to tell things to me. Don't worry, I feel it too..."

That's when I pulled up my own sleeve- the one that had the cuts. I silently undid the ace bandage, though I didn't take the bandages off. It didn't take me more than a second to confirm my suspicions- comparing Saihara's fresh cuts to the placements of my bandages. Evidently Saihara did the same, because a new wave of tears fell from his eyes. 

"You found me!... Soulmate."

He covered his mouth with his hands, speechless. I guess I do have that effect on people. Anyways, that's when he carefully sprung at me and hugged me loosely. Despite our height difference he sobbed against me. I rubbed his back gently. Now- I wouldn't openly admit it because of who I am as a person, but I wanted to cry with him. I had been thinking about this moment for as long as this pain had been going on. 

"Thank you O-Ouma-Kun... Thank you s-so much!..." the taller male's voice gave out as he continued to sob, but personally- I don't think he minded that. 

I just nodded," We're gonna work on your problem together from now on, okay? I just found you- no way am I losing you Saihara-Chan! Nishi-shi-shi!~"

And just like that, I met my soulmate. I never felt that awful burn of self-inflicted cuts ever again. Thanks to Saihara's bully problem, the school let him transfer to my classes. (though they were kinda iffy on that- because I am Ouma Kokichi after all. I'm a liar!)


	3. An odd dullness and a beating heart (Saiibo)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saihara Shuuichi is numb. But he's also so jittery.   
> All  
> The  
> Time. 
> 
> He needs help.   
> Momota finds that help in a young therapist. 
> 
> Kiibo is in to deep now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's five am. Help me- ahhhhhhhhhhh

Was it possible to feel dulled out and hyper-aware at the same time? Completely absent but also entirely there? Or were those things to contradicting? Shuuichi Saihara wasn't sure. He was a teenage boy, sure he was intelligent- but he was still a minor.

Still... Every part of him identified with those questions and so many more. Some of the time he didn't even understand why he was alive. By no means was Saihara suicidal- he just... Didn't understand. The questions of each situation he was in weighed at his conscious, making him feel even more dully hyper. If that was a good term to use. 

It didn't help that he wasn't medicated when it came to the dull side of things. He took vitamins to combat his mind acting out with the dullness, but they didn't help much. He was just to young for the medication to make him feel better. Thankfully, he was medicated for the aware side of his mind, but it didn't help him. Saihara felt the same as always. 

People were starting to worry about him, friends, family, whatever. It seemed like he was lacking sleep, he even outright refused to eat some of the time. Saihara couldn't bring himself to care. Because if he did care, it would spiral out of control and he would be only hyper-aware. It felt better when things were even, or when the dullness numbed out the awareness. 

He supposed when he started to care; he would spiral into a panic attack. After learning of that, he did some research. They didn't use the terms he liked- calling the dullness depression and the awareness anxiety. It wasn't nice to hear- it didn't make him feel as calm as dulled out and hyper-aware did. Those terms scared him. 

One day, one of his friends -blonde hair, purple eyes, Kaede Akamatsu- finally gave up and told him to call someone. Saihara didn't want to give up too- he didn't want to give up the idea of going numb. He spiraled into awareness that day and Akamatsu stopped talking about him calling someone. 

Kaito Momota though, he picked it up where she left off. Saihara didn't want to, he really didn't want to- he would rather do anything else, but Momota made him. Momota. Made. Him. So he called someone- they met on Monday. When Momota left, Saihara wanted to succumb to the spiral of awareness- but he couldn't. He just started laughing and laughing as the numbing dullness took over. 

It was Monday now. The dullness wanted Shuuichi to stay in bed- but the awareness was scared. It made him get up and go to school. He didn't want to go to school. He was intelligent- Saihara made such good grades. But he hated school. It made him too aware. It was awful feeling that aware, he hated it. 

It was after school- Monday. Saihara was being forced by Momota to go to the person he called. Momota said he knew the person- that the person was good. That the person was around their age. That couldn't have been true though. No one their age could be the person he'd called. They weren't old enough. Momota said so though- it had to be true. He wouldn't... Lie... To Shuuichi, would he?  
More questions-  
\------------------------

Saihara stared out the window of the car. He didn't want to do this. He could feel himself shaking, every breath getting caught half-way for a moment. There was no way he wasn't pale, and his heart felt like it was exploding. It made Saihara feel sick to his stomach. Oh- he couldn't say that though, Momota had done so much for him. Hell- he was the one to convince Saihara to even call this "teen therapist" in the first place. 

"Saihara-kun," no response, " Hey! Saihara-kun," nothing," Shuuichi!"

That snapped the thin male back onto reality, making him go wide eyed and panicked," s-sorry. I'm- I'm sorry Momota-Kun. I-... I spaced out..."

Momota made a light-hearted comment, indicating it was fine,  before letting Saihara out of the car and heading twords the building. Saihara on the other hand, had a hard time walking. He was having trouble staying calm. It was hard not to anxiously overthink things in this situation. Despite that, he still managed to have the numb feeling of depression that sagged the bags under his eyes. God- his head was confused.

Momota looked back and saw his friend struggling. He acted accordingly, of course. Well... At least accordingly for the astrology student's standards. Meaning he picked Shuuichi up bridal style and carried him into the building. Needless to say- the navy-haired male was extremely embarrassed by his friends actions. Though the other male meant well- Saihara knew that and didn't act out other than embarrassment. 

When Kaito entered the building- still holding his lanky friend- he walked up to the front desk and plainly said," Appointment with Doctor Iidabashi, under the Saihara name. Thanks again for helping me out Toujo!"

Ah... So Momota knew the woman at the front desk. Toujo- was it? The woman nodded kindly and tapped something into the machine on the front desk. That's when the purple haired male finally decided to set down his friend. At this point- Saihara had calmed down, but he still had to lean on Momota to steady himself. 

After an agonizing few minutes of waiting, Saihara's name was called by a surprisingly soft and crisp male voice. Sure enough, a pale white haired male walked into the waiting room, or lobby, almost fading into his white clothing. He was bright among the drab look of the room. Momota was right- too, he didn't look as though he was any older than Saihara himself. Not to mention being several inches shorter. 

"Um... Shuuichi Saihara? It's time for your appointment," the soft yet crisp voice rang, catching Saihara a bit off guard. 

Momota looked at him encouragingly as he anxiously shuffled over to this doctor. He didn't like this situation at all, but Saihara had given in and let Momota win. He looked down at the ground when murmuring a soft greeting to Kiibo- the doctor. Then the shorter male told Shuuichi to follow him to a room. 

At this point the golden-eyed male's heart was beating out of his chest. It was making it hard to breath. Even if he masked it well, the doctor reacted as calmly as someone who had been in this craft for years. He seemed wise beyond his age. 

"Ah... Anxiety. I should have known from Momota's comments and your call.  Inhale- for four seconds, hold that inhale for seven, and then exhale for eight. Keep doing that until you've calmed down... Oh, we're at my room now... Please. Come in..." Kiibo's voice was just as calm as the other times he'd spoke; Saihara liked that... Not everyone stayed quiet enough. 

So of course- He followed the white-haired male's instructions. They were surprisingly effective. In mere moments, Shuuichi felt exceptionally better. He had a weirdly good feeling about Kiibo. The male didn't act like most therapists, he didn't have the same tone most people in his career seemed to carry- it wasn't that fake sickly sweet understanding sound. 

"A-ah... Saihara-San, you don't have to stand... There's a chair um... Right next to you..." Kiibo gave a small, sheepish smile, his unreal seeming blue eyes darting about to emphasise his words.

Saihara of course almost instantly felt completely stupid for not realizing that. Muttering an apology that Kiibo returned, he sat down. When they had both settled down, Kiibo started not by asking what was wrong with him or something like that; but instead asking what a funny misconception about him was. To which -after some though- he replied that while most people seemed to think that he was taller than his friend Akamatsu, when in reality he was about an inch shorter. Kiibo laughed at this and replied with his own fact. 

"People seem to think that my roommate and I are dating. He's one of my closest friends, but he's also kind of a jerk... But I do care about him," the shorter male rubbed the back of his neck softly, a faint smile on his lips. 

Kiibo suddenly made sense to Saihara. He understood why he seemed to familiar. Not because he knew the man himself- but because one of his friends(?) did. Ouma Kokichi, the tiny and persuasive liar. He had heard Ouma mention his "supper smart but super socially inept roommate Kiiboy" quite a few times. One letter difference was all it took. 

Saihara's voice was soft as he spoke," is this roomate of yours Ouma Kokichi by chance..."

"Aha!" Kiibo claimed, So you are the same Saihara he kept mentioning. I know it may not seem like it, but he considers you one of his best friends."  
\----------------------  
The first meeting was followed by many others. It was clear that Saihara's mental state had drastically improved over the few months he had been going to therapy with Kiibo. He had even gone to a few group sessions; some of which held Momota's girlfriend: Harukawa Maki, there was also Ouma -he was just there because why not.

Two other people were there as well- both of which he recognised from his school. There was a girl who was considered psychotic -Tsumugi Shirogane- and a schizophrenic girl named Yumeno Himiko. 

Needless to say, Saihara got along with Haukawa better than the other two. Mostly because he knew who she was more than the others and felt closer to her for that reason. 

Though... This all wasn't to say Saihara no longer had one on one sessions. Because no matter what: he was still depressed and anxious; disorders didn't exactly go away easily. It wasn't as if his improvement wasn't substantial -as Kiibo reassured him- it was just that he still had problems to help. 

One day, Saihara walked into Kiibo's office- particularly tired. He had crammed for a test the night before; and despite his better judgement the lanky male ended up staying awake in the nights entirety. It was clear to his blue eyed doctor that something was off as soon as Saihara sat down. The oddly skittish yet brave glimmer in his golden eyes was replaced with the matted dull of sleeplessness. 

"Ah- Good afternoon Saihara-San... How was your day?" The pale male asked, his voice shuttering with it's own slight anxiousness. 

It took Shuuichi several seconds to process the others words; whereas he'd normally respond instantly, he took a moment before murmuring," It was fine... I had to take a test though..."

This really began to worry Kiibo, he supposed it was a good thing that Saihara wasn't freaking out- but it was out of character for him to not get at least a bit anxious about a test. At least wonder it he'd passed. If the navy-haired teen had these concerns, he didn't tell his licenced therapist. Though it was true the Saihara didn't have to tell him everything. 

Kiibo let his tone steady itself before gently saying," Saihara-San... If you need sleep you can sleep now. That was part of what I talked about on day one!"

That was all Saihara really needed to hear. With a grateful hum, he laid his head on his arms -which were crossed on the desk- and was out like a light. The shorter male sighed to himself, there was probably a more comfortable place to sleep than that. Unfortunately, Kiibo couldn't move him. He was a therapist- not a body builder. 

So, he just sighed gently and smiled to himself- reflecting. He was a bad person. Kiibo was a really bad person. He shouldn't have felt this way about a patient... Still though. Saihara captivated him. He never meant to fall this hard, but in every- Saihara was asking for it. His body language, emotions around Kiibo... It all made sense as a crush. He could never ask though. It was insensitive. 

By the time Saihara had woken up- their session was almost over. Much to the disappointment of the both of them. 

"Bye Saihara... I'll see you later..." the white haired male muttered- a small blush on his cheeks as their time together ended. 

Unknown to him- Saihara wore the same blush as he said his goodbyes. 

So... Maybe crushes weren't all that bad. Maybe just on this... One guy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want... To write a warriors of hope story. I love the warriors of hope damn it-


	4. Cats and Questions (RyomaSai)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryoma and Saihara visit a Cat Cafe  
> Saihara ends up questioning just how straight he really is  
> Feelings are mutual but they go unsaid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So someone requested this idea about two months ago. I started working on this chapter at about that time but school and testing happened. I go back to school from spring break tomorrow and I was so drained before break that I hardly even drew anything. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things now, For now, sorry about the rushed ending to this chapter.

Simply put: Saihara wasn’t the biggest fan of cats. That wasn’t to say he didn’t like them, he just wasn’t to terribly fond of them. That was likely due to the large amount of missing animals cases he had taken involving him. The felines had left scratches and scars in numerous places on his arms and palms.  
His friend Hoshi however… he was a very different story. Now while he didn’t say it often, the small male adored cats. Saihara knew this too. So when a Cat Cafe opened up in their town it took him no time before asking the other male if he wanted to go. Of which Ryoma gladly obliged, much to Saihara’s amusement. Not because the other had decided to go with him; but because of the light in his eyes when the taller teen asked.  
The two males were polite, they waited until an hour after the cafe opened to go in, as this was about the time animals would have gotten more active. Hoshi pulled at his hat with a nervous excitement as they walked down to the cafe, that of which Saihara couldn’t help but find adorable. But- they were friends so it didn’t mean anything- surely. He had never thought of himself as anything other than straight. Though he had been hopelessly pining after Akamatsu for years until she started dating Ouma of all people.  
“Hey Hoshi-kun?” he started hesitantly, hastily covering up his slight accent that sometimes slipped through.” Um, I’m assuming you’re excited. That’s good- I guess…”  
His friend simply lowered his hat over his eyes a bit more before saying,” Hm? Ah, I guess you’re right… I suppose I didn’t notice. My apologize.”  
At that Saihara frantically waved his arms in front of him, claiming that there was no need for apologise. Through it was a bit idiotic as he was often guilty of doing the same thing. Not to mention their similar tendencies when it came to their hats. It was honestly odd how similar they were despite leading such different lives. Even the fact that they were friends at all was surprising. An ex-convict and a detective; what an unlikely pair they made.

Thankfully, soon enough they got to the Cafe. They then once again had to explain that Hoshi was, in fact, the same age as Saihara. He just had dwarfism- standing at around three foot six. The lady at the check in had an intimidating glare that was hard and threatening. Saihara- being very anxious- backed down from the glare almost instantly while Hoshi met her stare with an even one of his own.

"Alright, ask for Pekoyama if the two of you need anything," She scooped up a cat that was attempting to escape as if second nature and softly chided it.

Hoshi nodded at the woman, a small smirk on his lips as Saihara bowed quickly. The woman, now known as Pekoyama, opened a glass door to the actual cafe area. In this area several employees rushed around, serving food to the few others there or performing tricks with the cats. Though really only one person was doing the ladder- a male with black and white hair and a long crimson purple scarf. He was holding a small cat on an outstretched leg.

As soon as Saihara and Hoshi walked in, all eyes turned to them- as they were a new source of sound. The two sat at a table and started flipping through the menus Pekoyama had given them. Cats near instantly gravitated cautiously towards Hoshi, as the small male tried hard to mask his glee.

"Hey! How are you both doing today?" A chipper brown-haired male with messy hair asked," My name is Naegi and I'll be your waiter. Can I get you anything? And before you worry, the cats know not to eat the food,"

He scratched the chin of one of the cats currently at their table for effect.  
The two males quickly ordered their food, and before long- Saihara realized how nice this felt. He laughed as a cat pawed it's way up to his shoulder. He couldn't feel it's claws as his outfit was thick, with a high collar. The small cat - it was black with dazzling blue eyes- nuzzled against his cheek as he smiled gently. Shuuichi wasn't very good with animals, but this cat seemed sweet enough.

"He likes you," Ryoma said quietly, rubbing the head of a purring white and brown cat.

Saihara felt his cheeks heat up slightly," Ah... Yeah... I guess..."  
It was weird, he felt weird. Why was he so flustered all of a sudden? Before he had to much time to think about it, the waiter -Naegi- came back with their food. His hazel green eyes lit up upon seeing the cat perched on Saihara's shoulder.

"Oh, Nintai... Huh. You must be something special; Nintai is our shyest cat because he's a runt," the Brown haired male laughed into his hand as he say their food down.

Nintai... That was "Patience" right? From how the small cat had acted, that made a lot of sense. Well... Nintai just nuzzled against his cheek again as Saihara thanked the waiter shyly and took a bite of his food.  
"Saihara-Kun. You seem tense. Are you alright?" Hoshi questioned after a moment, his large blue eyes staring up at the anxious detective-in-training.  
Shuuichi bit his lip- realizing quickly how little he had spoken the whole time they were there," a-ah! Y-yeah, of course. I'm fine... Just a bit lost in thought..."  
Their meal continued in an awkward silence until they finished. Ryoma then suggested to just play with the cats for awhile. Saihara- despite not being the most enthusiastic about animals- quickly obliged. The feeling rising in his chest was odd. It wasn't anything like how he felt about Akamatsu. There was none of that torturous and agonizing pining he'd felt before.

It was just... Sweet. The feeling in his heart was fluttery and anxious- but also oddly... Calm. Did- did he really like Ryoma? In a romantic sense? Things felt different around him. It wasn't the different with Ouma; high stress and annoyance. Nor was it the different with Momota; a surge of confidence and foolishness. It was soft and subtle and made his head spin.  
Saihara had ended up spacing of for some time while idly petting Nintai with a long boney hand. With all this thinking... His cheeks had dusted with a soft pink. He wore a calm yet embarrassed expression that complemented his features oddly well. And though Saihara would never know it, it made Ryoma's heart skip a beat.  
The small male raised an eyebrow at the golden eyed boy before muttering," I didn't think you would be so good with animals Saihara-Kun..."

That… snapped the taller teen out of his odd thoughts, causing him to break into awkward sputters as a reply. Obviously, it wasn’t the most uncommon thing to happen when someone was with the jittery detective. Still, it made Hoshi let out a whisper of a laugh. For some reason, just that made Shuuichi’s cheeks go as warm as a wildfire.   
Eventually, their meal and time with the cats had ended. The navy haired detective had… grown a better appreciation for cats. And Ryoma.


	5. Dead Tired -Saimota

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have you ever been so tired that everything hurt? Every word you spoke felt like cotton in your mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. This is suuuper venty. It ends fluffy and cute but there's a reason why I haven't been all that active for the last few months. It wasn't just writers block or low motivation. Trust me- it's not that easy. Though I do have three more one shots in the works.   
> A SaiGonta Zoo Date  
> A Saimota SickFic  
> And  
> A RyomaSai MMO

Have you ever been so tired that everything hurt? Every word you spoke felt like cotton in your mouth. And no matter how hard you tried to do something coherent- you'd mess up. Get so frustrated that you had to stop. Well, I have. I have for sure. 

If you were wondering- my name is Saihara Shuuichi. Not that it matters really. Or maybe it does, it is possible that it does. I wouldn't really know. All I know is that my brain doesn't want me to. 

It's... Not like I'm emotionless, not at all. Everything is just- hazy. But I can't stop. Can't force my mind into coherent thought. It isn't even like an eating disorder. That would be an awful comparison. I /can't/ stop, but not sleeping all that often won't kill me... Right? As a detective I should know that. 

I won't die from being tired. It'll just make me slightly more emotional is all. Okay... A lot more emotional really. So much more emotional. But who needs positive emotions when you can drown the pain with caffeine? Not me, certainly. 

Kaito Momota didn't think that I was okay though. He says that getting up at the same time is good, but if I only get three hours of sleep before that- it's less good. Every part of me knows that he's right, but my mind doesn't care. I know he loves me, but I have to be awake- always. It's okay.  I swear that it's okay. 

\---

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you can die from exhaustion. I feel like I am. I missed my alarm a week ago, twelve hours of sleep. I didn't let myself sleep for two days after that. Kaito knew. I crashed against him yesterday. Legitimately passed out. Five minutes. Only five minutes before I was screaming into his chest. 

Kaito and I love stargazing. A lot. He knows everything about the stars, it seems. The thing is- he always tries to get me to sleep when we do. He used to not be able to- but more recently, it's been working. I don't stargaze as much as I used to now. 

\---

I'm dying. Not really, but I may as well be. Fifteen hours. Fifteen hours of sleep. Kaito made me fall asleep while stargazing. He thought it would help but everything is worse now. Everything is even more hazy. It's like I can't actually think anymore. I'm so numb. 

I'm scared. 

\---

My name is Kaito Momota. I have a boyfriend of three years named Shuuichi Saihara. He's been in a coma for five days. I love him but he's so /stupid/ sometimes! I may be oblivious but I'm not an idiot! It's a miracle that he's not dead!

I don't know what good it'll to to write in this notebook of his. But I read is stuff before this. It's terrifying. 

\---

Day thirty of the "Shuuichi Recovery Log":  
I've made it thirty days. Kaito wants me to get to fifty, so does the doctor. I'm healthier now. I feel better. Kaito was right with the Cognitive Reprogramming. Though he didn't know what that was called until I googled it.   
Ten hours of sleep every day is hard. It still scares me, but not as bad as it did before. I can do this.   
"Sleeping doesn't make me weak."  
Twenty days to go. 

\---

Day fifty of the "Shuuichi Recovery Log":  
I made it! Fifty days, even with relapses. Even with bad days and tears, I made it. My body and mind are both thankful that I've regulated this. Of course nothing like this is easy to overcome. I still have a lot of work to do. But I feel good! Kaito is proud of me.   
"Sleeping doesn't make me weak."

\---

Day fifty- Continued:  
Kaito proposed. He proposed today! Of course I said yes! He loves the stars, but promised me that our vows would be said over the rising sun.


	6. Butterfly Smoke Bombs -SaiGonta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes Saihara felt like his life was turning into a harem. It wasn't like he particularly deserved it, but that was how it seemed. The chaos seemed to start the day Gonta asked him on their first date. Now, Gonta was someone he really did like- so of course he said yes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lotsa fluff this time. Ouma, Momota, and Kork are jerks.  
> Gonta and Saihara make such a sweet pair and I love them for a lot of the same reasons as I love Saiibo. One of the only reasons why I haven't written anything of them yet is the fact that it's really hard to find balance between English Gonta and Japanese Gonta. Basically Japanese Gonta doesn't speak in a broken way. So I used awkward but not shattered English.  
> This idea comes from A Cross of Fire! The same person who requested the cat cafe story! I loved it so much that it brought me out of my writing funk. Though school delayed writing on this a whole lot.  
> (Saihara has dimples and no one can convince me otherwise)  
> I started writing this months ago at this point. So it varies in quality. Like a lot.  
> My mental and emotional state haven't been great until recently, Sorry.

It was just after the start of spring, and the weather was lovely. School hadn't quite started yet so he had more or less nothing to do. As such, a navy haired male by the name or Saihara Shuuichi was aimlessly sketching a park that laid in front of him. His friend Angie would*not*be proud of his ability. 

It was calm until a very familiar laugh rang from a nearby playground- followed by someone's discontented groaning. Was- were Ouma and Kaito, at a children's playground? Actually no: more important question- why were they with each other if they were?!... Did he have to go fix this?... 

Nope. Not unless they talked to him. Momota was one of his closest friends, and Ouma seemed to like him. But together... They turn into uncontrolled chaos. Complete and utter insanity. Gay insanity. 

Most of his friend group was lgbt in some right. Though: Saihara himself was pan, previously having a crush on Kiibo and having gone out with Akamatsu at a time. Though now it was a bit weird- it felt like more than one person liked him- of all people. 

Sighing, he shrugged- opting to forget about Ouma and Momota for the moment. There was a reason that he was here, Saihara had just gotten here really early. Gonta had asked him to meet at the park and of course he said yes. The entomologist was really sweet and was overall a good person. 

While distracted by his thoughts a happy voice rang, making him jump.  
"Saihara! Gonta is very glad you are here!" 

Saihara was still a bit startled, but quickly calmed after realizing who it was," H-hu- Hi Gonta, how are you?"

They spent several minutes catching up and talking with one another. For a minute- Saihara forgot about Ouma and Kaito being near. Though as they were talking, Gonta seemed to get visibly nervous. Did he want to say something? Well if that were the case...

He took the next opportunity to change the subject," Hey Gonta, is there a reason you asked me to come here?"

The subject of his question seemed to blush slightly- flubbing a few words. It was odd seeing the male flustered. Honestly kind of cute.  
Oh- was that wrong to think? Please don't let that be wrong. Ah, Saihara had never really been any good at romance, or not romance. If it was wrong to think. 

"A-ah- er... Gonta does have a question for Saihara..." the bigger male started. 

But before he could finish, a rock hit the side of Saihara's head. The lanky teen cried out gently as his eyes flung open. His hand quickly pulled up to the side of his head- hoping that he was just imagining things. Sadly though, it was just as he'd feared. As he pulled his hand away from the spot the rock hit- his ideas were confirmed. He was bleeding.  
Of course it wasn't enough to concuss him or anything, but it did hurt. 

Trying not to alarm Gonta, he quickly rubbed his hand on his pants, wincing slightly. Though the other had already seen him, and the tall male was panicking. 

"A-ah! Saihara! Are you okay?! You're bleeding! W-wait- Gonta can help!" Gonta always seemed to be more prepared than he let on and he quickly pulled out a roll of bandaging tape and gauze from his satchel. 

Saihara started to protest, but Gonta quickly reassured him. The entomologist was surprisingly gentle as he bandaged Saihara. And soon enough, despite any pain he felt, Shuuichi found himself smiling. 

"Is..." Gonta spoke, pausing to think," is Saihara alright?"

The navy haired teen just let out a slight chuckle," I'm fine, it just stings a little. Anyways... What were you going to ask me?"

He was so curious. It wasn't like he could help that either. As a detective, curiosity was important. 

Gonta seemed flustered again," Ah- right!... Gonta was... Er- wondering if Saihara would like to go on a date with him tomorrow?... T-to the Zoo!"

... Shuuichi was dreadfully unprepared for that question. He felt his cheeks quickly raise in temperature and assumed that their colour also changed. It took him a few seconds to catch up to his mind, so he probably sat in front of Gonta for several seconds, stiff and blushing. That wasn't exactly the best thing He had ever done.

"A-ah! Oh- um... I... Of course! I-I'd love too Gonta!" the golden eyed teen struggled out, covering his mouth to contain himself. 

The red eyed male pulled Saihara into a hug, laughing happily. As someone who had known Gonta for some time, the detective should have been expecting that. Gonta was also extremely strong, and for a moment- the lanky male struggled to breathe. Though the instant he made any connotation of this, the bigger teen eased up. 

"Gonta not mean to hurt you, he's just very happy!" Gonta spoke, a huge grin taking over his features. 

Saihara let out a gentle chuckle as he felt less crushed," it's alright Gonta, I'm happy too."

 

The zoo was nice, Saihara didn't mind the zoo. Aside from the loud sounds and the children. Saihara liked the quieter parts of the zoo- like fish (though usually at aquariums), snakes (an animal that he didn't mind, despite most people's fear), and dragonflies or butterflies (those are just beautiful). 

"When are we going?" Saihara asked after a moment. 

Gonta, who was still holding onto Saihara, stated," about ten thirty in the morning. Gonta knows it's early, but he wants to get there before crowds."

That was understandable. The nearest zoo opened at about ten.

With that, Gonta and Saihara spent just a while more with each other. They then parted ways, both excited about the next day. Shuuichi was especially nervous, as he was just that sort of person. Always worrying about anything that could possibly happen. Though that wasn't to say he wasn't excited- he was. 

\---  
"I thought you said your aim was good! How the Hell did you hit Saihara?!" Screamed a short male after Gonta and Saihara had left the park. 

Another male- he was taller- spoke," I do! It was the wind!"

"You threw a rock!"

"It's windy!"

"No it's not! You could have concussed him! It was meant to be a distraction!" 

"Oh- both of you shut up. We now know the location and time of their date. We can do something then," spoke a third male, who dressed androgynously and had long hair.  
\---

Saihara was nervous, he wasn't used to dates. Certainly not ones that were so public. Gonta was so oblivious to homophobia. Well... Fish couldn't be homophobic, could they? Oh whatever. Gah! Did he even look good? Did looks even matter to Gonta? Seeing as the male liked *him* probably not. 

Still... He wanted to look nice. Even if it was just a date at the zoo. So, digging through one of the only messy places in his room, his closet (no pun intended), he attempted to find relatively nice clothing. Something business casual-ish. He managed to dig up a dark grey button up that somehow had matching dress pants. Socks were easy enough to find, as were shoes. Looking in the mirror, he looked fine enough. 

What time was it? Ten... O' five. Alright. He probably had to get moving. Besides clothes- he was ready to leave. Gonta could- in fact- drive, and he did confirm that he'd pick Saihara up. Despite that fact, the navy haired teen was nervous about this. Lots of people were homophobic. Hell... this whole damn thing panicked him. 

Saihara stepped outside of his house and sat on the front porch. It was a fair weathered day, though if it got very windy it might get cold. The slight breeze combing through the air simply proved that idea. It might do him well to grab a jacket. Still though... Did he want to drag that around?

The screech of a cars wheels broke his thought process as he pondered grabbing a jacket. Oh! That was Gonta. Which made sense, because it was about ten fifteen. Saihara put a smile on is face as he walked over to Gonta's large forest green car.

Though as he got about half way: Gonta stepped out of the driver door. Honestly... He was sort of stunning. Yes this was just a date to the zoo, but Gonta was dressed just as -if not more- formally than normal. The mossy haired male was wearing a dark blue suit jacket and dress pants. Though his undershirt was still white- it didn't take away. And though it didn't match, he wore grey socks and black dress shoes. 

"It's only proper manners for Gonta to help Saihara into his car, yeah?"  
questioned Gonta, while the other male stood shocked and blushing. 

It took the lanky male a moment to think up the proper words," A-ah- yeah... I- guess... You- you look really nice Gonta-"

He laughed, a grin on his face," Thank you Saihara! Shirogane tailored it for Gonta."

With that, the two teens got into Gonta's car. It was silent for a while as the radio played, though it was a comfortable silence. Saihara felt happy around the taller teen, and from how jovial he looked- Gonta seemed to mirror his feelings.  
Crushes always managed to sneak up on Shuuichi, just appearing out of the blue. Without realizing it- he had managed to grow feelings for Gonta. At first it was probably just a squish -Platonic crush, usually used by Aces and Aros- but at some point... He guessed it had turned into something more. This always happened to him. Though... This was a date. So it was normal to assume that the other- liked him as well? That made sense, right?

He just sighed and stared out of the window, his cheeks still flushed with red. Gonta really did look nice. The only change he would make would be Gonta's hair -though he liked the wild look of the other teens locks. A small smile whispered onto the detectives lips, forcing the bottom lids of his eyes to crinkle slightly. Saihara felt oddly good in this situation- he really hoped that this date wouldn't be a disaster. 

Upon getting to the zoo, Saihara was hit with a wave of nervousness- realizing that he was *actually* on a date. Like really on a date. Like legitimately on a date with Gonta. Somehow an actual date. It wasn't even that uncommon for most people his age. For him though- someone extremely closed off and nervous- it was something. Gah- he just really hoped that everything went well. 

When Saihara had gotten his thoughts straight, Gonta was opening The passenger door- ever-present smile on his face. Jeez... He kept forgetting how nice the other teens smile was until he was hit with it. Well, with that- Gonta helped him out of the car. Talking about how he was a gentleman and gentlemen always helped dates out of the car. 

"Mhm, thank you Gonta," Saihara said after getting out of the car, letting out a gentle and jovial laugh as his cheeks flushed. 

The tall male blushed as well," Of course Saihara! It was really no problem for Gonta!"

They walked into the zoo, both nervously close to one another. Gonta somehow had the money to pay the entrance fee and they entered. By that point it was painfully clear that they both had feelings for one another. Little did they know... Three of their friends... Or "friends" at least, were about to reak all havoc.  
\---  
"They're here they're here they're here!" called a violet haired boy- dressed up in a blue wig and yellow contacts. 

"I see that... Now silence..." hissed another teen- a male.  
He was dressed up like a female however, his dark hair pulled under a blonde wig, eye colour unchanged. 

His fake boobs itched. 

A third male- wearing a blue wig and red contacts (with the hair on his chin begrudgingly removed) added," Well we gotta act like were going and doing something! Ouma... Go like... Act like the ten-year-old you have the height of!"  
\---  
"This butterfly looks like a Monarch- doesn't it?" Gonta asked as the pair looked in the butterfly "forest."

"Uh... Yeah. I guess..."

"But it's not! It's a similar bug but it's called the Viceroy butterfly- it isn't a Monarch. You can tell because Viceroy’s have a black line on their hind wings! Monarchs don't. Isn't it cool? Gonta thinks so!" the teen with green hair puffed out his chest, proud. (Though later Saihara would find out he was also trying to impress him.)

"Yeah, that is cool..." 

A "couple" and their young child entered the viewing area. The child was running around excitedly and... Well, knocked into Saihara. That caused him to fall down. It happened to quickly for Gonta to catch him, so poor Saihara just crumpled to the ground. 

"Oh, we're terribly sorry! R... Rey was just, excited. We didn't meant to disturb you two friends!" Cheered the blonde haired mother with a slightly falsetto voice. 

Yes. Friends. Oh his please don't let these people be homophobic. Saihara wasn't even really upset for himself- more for Gonta. The other male hadn't ever really faced homophobia. Though that was a good thing, it could also make someone unprepared for that sort of thing. 

"It is... no problem! A-ah- Saihara, you okay?" Gonta seemed cheery before quickly scrambling to help Saihara -who was still on the floor- up.  
Their hands lingered together just a moment to long. 

The child whined after the mother whispered something," But I dun wanna--- mnn. I'm sorry mister. I didn't mean to make you trip or somethin' so yeah."

"It's... It's fine," mumbled Saihara, flushing slightly- he had a habit of blaming himself for something he had no part in. This was one of those times. 

Thankfully, Gonta knew this about Saihara. All of his friends knew. So the big male took his hand and squeezed it reassuring. Which of course- kind of hurt. It was also somewhat embarrassing. The couple looked at this for a moment, before both of them gave disgusted looks. Which was all Saihara had feared. 

"Well," the father spoke, lips tight," aha. I think we took a wrong turn to the bird exhibits."

With that, the couple walked off. And Saihara sort of just whimpered gently, looking off to the side. That's what he was afraid of. The other male in the now basically empty viewing room was still oblivious. That was a good thing... Gonta didn't deserve to be hurt in that sort of way. 

"Well Saihara, we are going to go to look at the little cat animals," Gonta said after a while more of explaining different types of butterflies. There was also the occasional dragonfly in that exhibit. 

But yes, they did move on to a place Saihara knew more about. Wild cats. No, not big cats like lions or cheetahs- or the team from high school musical. Ahem. The small one, like sandcats, bobcats, and lynxs. Wow. Hoshi was rubbing off on him...

When they got to the wild cat area, well, that's when everything started going wrong. 

It all started with Saihara getting a cut on his cheek. Of course Gonta bandaged it, but Saihara's head was becoming a target. He wasn't that happy about that fact.  
The next part of the chaos was running into that family... again. Insults were thrown and it even got to Gonta getting involved. 

Now, the final straw was during the "seal show." The zoo had a seal show every few hours, two or three times a day. A trainer would make seals perform, basically. That's the show, simple enough- right?  
Well, in this case it definitely didn't go that smoothly. 

Upon Gonta's request, he and Saihara sat in one of the front rows. There was no real problem there- other than the slight risk of a splash. Fortunately for them, they ran into a young adult couple. "Fortunately" because,well, the pair was lgbt. (And little known fact about those in the lgbt community that Saihara had picked up. They were the only people with an actual "Gaydar." Simply- in the community, they tended to be able to tell if it was "friends holding hands" or a couple.)

"Aw!" cooed a woman with short brown hair," Toki! Toki- look!... Look at them!... So cute!"

Saihara... Clearly heard this lady. And he was undeniably embarrassed by her words. Don't get it wrong, it wasn't as though he didn't appreciate it. Having allies after a day of harassment from a homophobic couple was... Refreshing. It really, truly, was.

"Wh-what are you on about Omar- oh. Whatever... You and y-your obsession with other c-couples..." muttered her partner, grumbling to herself afterward. 

"Be nice!" The first mumbled," and stop calling me toilet! We're married! You know that's not my name!"  
She whined gently. 

Saihara was watching there two awkwardly while Gonta was somewhat oblivious. Though the show didn't start for a good fifteen minutes, he was quite excited. It was cute, really. 

"Um..." He spoke up, after the two females talked for a while," you've been staring at us for a while... Do we know you?"

Gonta took note when Saihara spoke up, thankfully. And the brunette in the couple just flustered and held her wife's arm- much to that wife's clear discomfort. The two seemed to be in their mid twenties, though at the same time one seemed much older and the other much younger. Funny how those sorts of dynamics worked. 

"No no, sorry!" the woman said with a kind smile," My name is Komaru Naegi-Fukawa! And... I couldn't help but notice what a cute couple you two are!... Ah, young love~ Right Toki?"  
The other just sort of stuck her tongue out and rolled her eyes. 

"C-couple?" Saihara squeaked, likely going bright red," I- mean we're on a date- b-but I-" The idea of him and Gonta being an actual couple made his heart leap out of his chest. And- young love? Now he was just embarrassed!

Gonta seemed to share in his embarrassment at least. Though the way he showed it was much less subtle than Saihara. A blush was of course on his cheeks, though he was floundering slightly, covering his face with his large hands. Had he not been equally as flustered, Saihara would have probably thought It was cute. He did think it was cute! Embarrassment was just more present at the moment.

“Ah,” hummed the older brunette,” I remember my first date with Toki. I was… 15. She was 17. Ahh geez! I feel old-”

The conversation was thankfully cut off by the announcement that the show was starting. That caused the embarrassing air that seemed to be choking Saihara to fade a bit. Especially seeing the happy smile that had taken to Gonta’s lips. The other male was charismatic in a way, his pleasant attitude made it easy to like him. It was easy to forget about the seal show with Gonta there. As cheesy as it was, despite his exterior- Saihara found Gonta to be lovely. Not to mention quite the gentleman, both in the word and literally. To be polite the navy haired male cheered gently whenever the other did. 

Something happened about halfway through the show however. Something… not so great. Involving the same “Family” that he and Gonta had seen throughout the day. That and a smoke bomb? 

\----  
“Plan: Is that a fire? Is now in action!” snickered a teen, sat between two others.  
One was dressed as an oddly tall female, and the other looked even more stupid than normal. 

“For the last time” the ‘other’ said with a grunt,” we are /not/ calling it that. Operation: Smoke bomb is ago!”

The male that was dressed in a feminine way hissed and rubbed his temples,” how about… we go set off the smoke bomb. Instead of mumbling about the name like utter idiots.”

“Whatever”

“Fine.”  
\---  
It was fine until someone saw grey smoke and someone else smelled sulfur. It was really fine. It was still okay until a smoke detector went off. The show stopped, and the whole zoo had to be evacuated. It wouldn't have been that big of a problem if not for the sulfuric smell, because that often goes hand in hand with a gas leak. 

“Zoo-Goers. Please remain calm,” rang a voice from an intercom speaker,” due to a possible gas leak in the seal show venue, you must evacuate. This will result in a full refund after the situation is handled.”

That, obviously caused panic. Because of course it did. Saihara and Gonta were swept up by the crowd. This resulted in yet another injury for Saihara. His foot got caught on a step, causing pain to shoot up his ankle, as well as his left hand getting scraped up on concrete. He cried out, which thankfully left an opening for Gonta. 

“Saihara!” the tall male cried worriedly, kneeling next to him,” is Saihara alright? Should Gonta carry him?”

Meanwhile, the lanky teen bit back tears, pain throbbing in his ankle and tingling in his hand. All he did was manage a quick hum in agreement. He was then promptly scooped up as Gonta started off to the nearest exist in a hurry. Saihara clung to the collar of his outfit gently, eyes part shut to preserve his low pain tolerance just a bit longer. It hurt, seriously. It did. His face wasn't affected that time, but it hurt a lot more than any more facial damage would have. 

They eventually got outside the zoo, to which Gonta sat on the ground- still holding onto his lanky date.  
“Thank you…” mumbled Saihara, gingerly smiling up at him. 

“You're welcome!” he said with a worried smile,” Gonta is strong, of course he helped Saihara! Speaking of, is Saihara alright? His hand is scraped and it looks like his ankle is swelling!”

He could say that he was in a lot of pain, but that wouldn't be quite true. The teen was hurt, but after visually analyzing himself, he was more banged up than anything else. Most of the injuries on him were surface wounds, scratches, scrapes, that sort of thing. The only really worrying bit was his ankle, as it was clearly swelling. It was painful when even lightly touched. Hopefully it was only a twist, not a sprain. 

“I'm-” Saihara cut himself off, sighing and then taking a breath,” I'm alright Gonta. A little shaken… but that's understandable I guess. My ankle is the only thing that really hurts…”

Gonta must have sensed this already, as it seemed like he was doing his best to not touch the other male there. Saihara was really quite frankly thankful for that.  
All they could do now was wait for refunds. Hopefully it wouldn't keep them too long. 

It was a sick prank. The gas leak thing.  
It was a sick prank executed by people he knew.  
Kokichi, Korekiyo, and Kaito.  
As close as he was to the last of those three, he couldn't help but feel sick.  
They dressed up in costumes, acted homophobic, and set off smoke bombs just to ruin Saihara’s date with someone he genuinely liked.  
It made him sick, it really did. 

“is… Saihara okay?” Gonta spoke up finally after they got their refund and the prank was announced,” Gonta… he wasn't very close to any of them. He knows that Saihara is friends with Momota though.”

Saihara sighed, limping against Gonta’s side as the bigger male supported him,” I'll be fine Gonta. I think I might hang out with Akamatsu, Kiibo, and Harukawa more now, actually…”

He didn't mean to come off so bitter, but he was bitter. The fact that one of his closest friends would crash a date Saihara had texted him about. Texted him about being excited about. It made him bitter, sick, he was angry. You don't just do that to people! Saihara would never dream of crashing one of his dates! It was an absolutely horrible thing, yet they had it so planned out! Kiyo wore fake boobs!! 

They got to Gonta’s car, finally, and both quickly got in. The golden eyed teen let out an auditory sigh of relief. It hurt so much less to be off of his ankle. At this point, Saihara was in pain and hungry. Thankfully Gonta came through. 

“Gonta knows the date was kind of a bust. By does Saihara want to come to Gonta’s apartment to ice his sound and watch movies with popcorn?”

“Of course. I’d love to Gonta.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope people appreciate the 11 pages of SaiGonta I've written. 11 pages.  
> I started this before finals  
> It's the end of July  
> Sorr y


	7. How do you react to your given name? -Saimota

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just two bro's being gay... Well, one of them is sick.   
> Maki can't handle a sick astronaut so she calls Saihara.   
> Momota is a whiny shit when he's sick. (and not secretly dying)  
> Saihara's trying his best.   
> He learns that it isn't his best at a party.   
> Help him.

It was... Really early in the morning. Saihara wasn't unused to being awake early... But he was unused to a certain brunette waking him up at five in the morning over the phone, screaming. 

"Saihara Shuuichi in the name of all things that are good! Help me with this space idiot!" that was Harukawa Maki, one of Saihara's best friends... Of which wasn't one to speak like that. 

The anxious teen took a moment to process. Help with- what exactly? It wasn't the most coherent question. He didn't know what was wrong- all he could assume was that something was up with Momota. What that might be though... the detective had no idea.

He spoke slowly but coherently, taking care not to sound like an ass," Maki- Maki it's five in the morning. Why are you calling me at five a.m? What's up with Momota?- oh. He's sick?... Do you have to go out?... Ow- stop screaming! I have neighbors. Yes- yes my phone's volume is up! Just... Give me like ten minutes. Ten minutes then you can bring your roommate over and go. Alright? Alright. Bye. See you."

Now... He had ten minutes to look at least somewhat presentable. It wasn't as though the junior detective had any plans, but he also didn't want to take care of his best friend this early. Well... "Friend." Saihara was... Super bi. Or pan. He wasn't totally sure. All he knew was that he had a big fat crush on the violet-haired astronaut. 

It wasn't really smart to risk getting sick around Momota. Saihara had the best resistance to illness out of anyone he knew- but when he did get sick he tended to over-share. Never mind that though- he was wasting time. At the. Moment his biggest concern should have been for Kaito, not himself. Thinking of himself was selfish.

"Gah-" murmured the slender boy as he hit an elbow against his dresser while he was changing.

Ignoring the injury that would surely bruise later, he took himself out of his pajamas and into more presentable clothing. Though more presentable entailed black jeans, a grey polo, and a band hoodie. Wow- when did his wardrobe get so... Edgy? The lanky male had no time to ponder that as there was loud knocking against his front door. Couldn't Maki have maybe- buzzed him up to let him know so he didn't almost break everything?

He sighed and combed a hand through his navy hair- rushing to his door," I'm coming- I'm Coming!"

With that- he opened his door to a formally dressed Maki... And Momota. He looked like an idiot. Harukawa was all but fuming as she had a hand clamped tightly on his roommates arm. Her eyes clearly read "I'm going to murder him." Saihara... Wasn't going to take any chances. He ushered the two into his apartment. 

"Harukawa- you're paying me for this," Saihara said blankly," also- don't have an awful time at your work event. It sucks that you have to be up this early."  
She seemed to lighten up when he gave the brunette a gentle and reassuring hug. Neither of them liked contact so it became a sign of support between the two. 

Maki gave a slight smirk, her red eyes lighting up faintly," Of course I'll pay you. Don't die with this dolt on your hands- because I won't pay for your funeral.” she rolled her eyes and then she was off. 

Alright. Kaito. Saihara turned to his purple-haired friend. It wasn't rude to say that he looked a mess. The male had unkempt hair, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was sniffling. The taller male was also wearing a purple t-shirt and black sweatpants. 

"Alright Momota. Get in my bed. You're so lucky I have online courses. So- fever, cold, flu? What's up?" Saihara asked, walking to his room.   
From the jittery way that Momota was acting- it seemed like a fever. But he wasn't a doctor and wasn't positive. 

Unsurprisingly- the other male only offered him a shrug. He began to stand- though clearly his mind had yet to catch up with his body as he started to collapse. Saihara rushed over to support him without a second thought- Momota had always gotten sick so easy... He didn't even fair very well while being so. 

As Shuuichi helped his friend to his room, his thoughts wandered. He seldom ever got sick himself, and when he did it didn't really affect him. That was largely because of the fact that when he was a child he traveled with his parents while they filmed. This resulted in many sicknesses that built up his immune system over time. By the time he was four he had gotten over two possibly deadly illnesses. 

The male blinked back into reality as he carefully helped Momota onto his bed. After going and checking his temperature, the detective was proven right. Momota did- in fact- have a fairly high fever. 38.5°C (101.3°F) to be in fact. Poor Kaito... 

He wasn't taking any chances- so he pulled out two old ratty bowls from under his sink. One was filled with cool water and placed a rag in it- leaving the other empty. Just in case. He walked back into his room, stacking the bowls- rag in the one with water. Cough medicine was clenched between his teeth and a spoon was held carefully in a hand. 

"Hey Momota, how are you feeling?" He asked once he situated himself. 

The purple haired male grunted, whining," like trash..."

Saihara had to force him back down as his friend tried to sit up. Trying to be super active while sick like this wasn't smart. He rolled his eyes at Momota's puppy dog eyes. It was clear that the astronomer hated being bogged down, but if he was sick it was better. 

He put on a kind smile after making Kaito take the cough medicine (having to deal with quite a bit of fight, let it be known) and placing the wet towel on his forehead," Go to sleep Momota. You'll feel better..."

"No-" the male whined," I want to stay awake to talk with you Shuuichi!"

Shuu-Shuuichi?! Suddenly Saihara felt feverish himself! In his thoughts he sometimes used people's given name- but never out loud. Where did Shuuichi come from?! Wait- wait. It was probably just because he was sick. Momota wasn't thinking straight! Yeah. That must have been it. 

While his mind rushed and scrambled for an explanation, Saihara's voice said," I-I- Wh-wha-what?"  
Smooth... 

"You heard me! You're my friend and I don't care if I'm sick! I like you," Momota claimed, giving a big smile that sent Saihara's head reeling. 

Friend, yep- friend, ah nevermind. Sadly for Kaito- he didn't have a choice. There was melatonin in the cough medicine, as sleeping sickness away was a valid thing. 

"Y-you’re obviously not coherent right now... go to sleep Momota... I'll be here when you wake up..." Saihara reassured, sighing and toying with the strings of his band hoodie. 

He had barely finished before the other male was out. The medicine was kind of fast acting. The lanky teen kind of had a had habit of staying up far to late. So for that reason most of the sleep medication he owned worked rather quickly. Shuuichi needed at least some rest for criminology tests and detective training. 

Anyways- Saihara stood up, deciding to idle himself with some reading. Was a mystery novel too predictable of him? Certainly. Though he had been obsessed with a certain series recently, and rather than actually studying- he picked up where he left off. Of course he played along with the story, trying to figure out what was happening exactly. Mystery novels that challenged him were always fun, this series wasn't predictable like many others. 

He continued to busy himself for a while after that, blaring music through headphones. Eventually though… his thoughts got too overwhelming. What did Momota mean by that? Saihara knew that his friend was sick, he did. That didn't stop him from hoping, just a bit. That maybe, just maybe, the astronomer could possibly feel the same.   
Though that was ridiculous, wasn't it?

After a good two hours, at around 9 a.m. Kaito woke up. He let his wakefulness be known by loudly shouting Saihara’s name out. (On a side note, he felt sorry for his neighbors, his friends were all so loud.) Of course, the golden eyed boy hurried to his room, to go check on his friend. 

“Saihara!” the man smiled -calling Shuuichi is last name thankfully- feverishly, pushing himself into a sitting position,” I'm feeling better now!”

Kaito was clearly bluffing, his face was rather pale, and his cheeks were flushed. As well as that, he was drenched in sweat. Saihara didn't know how he thought that lie was going to work. He was a literal detective- er, almost. Not to mention, dealing with his criminology partner Ouma Kokichi’s constant fake-outs. 

He just shook his head slightly, sitting beside the bed,” maybe slightly. But I can tell you aren't well yet. And you can't go home yet. Because A: I'm not driving you, and B: Maki isn't there to deal with you.”

“Aw man… I can't get anything past you Saihara. Can we at least talk then?” Kaito pouted, still propped up with both hands. 

Shuuichi smiled gently and rolled his eyes,” yeah, of course.”

His friend beamed, somehow still managing to be energetic while ill. The ecstatic male began rambling on. Saihara knew that a lot of this came from a sort of feverish high that lots of people expressed at the peak of a sickness. A burst of energy while the body got ready to fight the disease. Still though, it was nice to see Momota functioning well for at least a bit. Well- Saihara didn't even get a chance to talk throughout most of the astronomers incoherent rambles. 

“Momota,” Saihara mumbled, covering his mouth to hide a small laugh, as the mentioned male pulled a purposely ridiculous face. 

Kaito gave a full out grin, despite his still feverish features,” I dunno of anyone's told you this- but you have a really pretty laugh.”

There was his flush again. It wasn't unlike Momota to compliment Shuuichi, but that was less friendly and more… embarrassing. Or at least it make him embarrassed. That could just be because he wasn't the most… used to praise, but that surely wasn't just a buddy-buddy type compliment. 

“I-I- uh- th-thank you, but um- where did that come from?-” Saihara asked after gaping for entirely to long. 

“You're cute Shuuichi!”

There it was again! Shuuichi. No one but his family had ever called him that, unless you counted ex lovers. And Saihara personally didn't. He quickly cooked up an excuse that he had to go use the restroom. So he quickly fled to it and rinsed his face. Checking his phone didn't help, it was only about 11, and from what Harukawa had told him, she wouldn't pick up her roommate until about two. He still had three hours. 

After washing his face, Saihara went back to his room and bit his lip. Momota was out of it, if he had confessed- the astronomer would hopefully never remember it. Saihara doubted the male would remember almost any of this. Which, ah, was quite the relief to him personally. He would never have to relive this embarrassment, instead suffering his stupid crush in silence, knowing that he had acted on it at least once. Alright… yeah, he made his mind up. 

“Mo- K-Kaito,” he mentally cursed for butchering his friends given name with a stutter,” may I tell you something real quick?”  
God- he was running a high fever, Saihara really hoped he wouldn't remember this. It was selfish, but he had to do it… at least once. 

“Go ahead Shuuichi! And hey, you said my given name!” Momota seemed legitimately excited by that, and it just made Saihara want to shrivel up and die. 

Shielding his face with his hands, Saihara started,” well… I know you probably won't remember this later- but ah-... whatever, s-screw it. I’minlovewithyou.”

He… wouldn't look Momota in the eyes for the rest of the time he was there. 

About an hour later, he got a call,”Hey Saihara, sorry to call so suddenly. But ah- one of the idiots in my team at work got drunk on a Wednesday morning. Work party got canceled because the guy broke a chair. I'm heading your way, how's the space idiot holding up?”

It was Maki, oh thank God.   
“A-ah-” the navy haired male started, letting out a sigh of relief as he hurried out of his room and into the living area,” I'm sorry to hear that, though it might be nice to be out of work a work party, I was a plus one once and… yeah. A-anyways, Momota is doing alright. His fever has gone down considerably… Ah- he’s asleep right now.”

“That's good.”

“Yep.”

“...Well, I'll see you in about fifteen minutes. Bye.”

“Goodbye.”

Saihara slumped onto his chair and sighed. He wouldn't be able to face his friend for a week, he really hoped that Maki wasn't going to need him again. The fever seemed to be a 24 hour bug, as it had already improved by leaps and bounds, so that was a good thing. Of course, it was a huge relief that he had finally at least said it, but there was always that chance that Momota would remember. What a jinx he gave himself there-”Thank you again for helping me out the other day Saihara. By the way, you are coming to Kaede’s dinner right? She's been planning it for weeks and if you don't I'll kill you-”  
“Maki!’ cut in a female voice,” stop threatening our friends! Of course he's coming, he's never missed one of my dinners! Why would he start now?”  
“Whatever…”

“A-ah-” Saihara mumbled,” y-yeah… I'm coming. Sorry…”

“See you soon Saihara!”

Right, he had to go to Kaede’s monthly dinner. It was always a casual sort of event, through it was sort of similar to the American holiday Thanksgiving food-wise, so their whole friend-group looked forward to it. Still though, he was expected to bring something- and he had absolutely nothing. He would have to stop by the store on his way, maybe he had the money to by some lemon squares… they were better homemade, but store bought ones weren't bad. Though it was better to think about that after he looked more presentable. 

Digging through his closet and drawers, he found some clothes that looked okay. Well, to a point anyway. A grey t-shirt with a pastel sort of design was the first thing he pulled out. The shirt was one he liked, so he would dress around it. One black and mint jacket, some grey skinny jeans, and a pair of mint slip on shoes later- he looked pretty presentable. After taming his hair- he was ready to go to the store. 

It was paying for his lemon squares at the register that he realized that Momota would certainly be at the dinner. He, Toujou, and Akamatsu were the plan squad for the meals. Maki was also there early, though that was mostly because she went with her roommate. That and Akamatsu was dating her. Still though, the realization hit him like a truck. It was to the point that he basically dashed out of the store after paying. 

Should he even go? Kaito had texted him about thirty times since Wednesday! What if Momota hated him? What if even worse- Momota remembered? Would he have told someone? There was no way he felt the same- so if he remembered, God. 

Saihara got in his car, maybe blaring some alt rock through the speakers would settle his nerves. Singing along definitely helped him when he was anxious before an exam. Somehow, he knew that it wouldn't do all that much this time though. Of course his intuition was right. It helped- minimally, then getting out of his car at Kaede’s place he had another realization. 

Ouma. 

Kiibo and Ouma were childhood friends. Well, friends wasn't quite the word. In fact- they were… more brothers actually. Kiibo’s father (a professor at Saihara’s college) adopted Ouma when he was about thirteen. Kiibo sometimes invited his adoptive sibling to these events, and this was one of those times. The thing about that was… Ouma knew that Saihara had a thing for Kaito. He called it obvious, but for some reason he was sure that the gremlin had dug through his school notes and come across his vent sheet. ”Welcome to the party Saihara!” sang Kaede cheerily when the male stepped into her house,” oooh- you're wearing the shirt I got you!”

“Ah… y-yeah,” right, Akamatsu and Shirogane bought him some clothes for a video on Shirogane’s cosplay channel once- the shirt was one of those items. 

He caught sight of Kiibo, which lead to direct eye-contact with Ouma. Ouma laughed and glanced over at Kaito. Momota was standing by the table with Toujou, who was fussing over how the food was laid out. Kokichi was completely aware of the fact that Saihara would have to set his food at the table eventually. What a little jerk. 

“Hey Toujou, M-momota…” Saihara mumbled, giving into Ouma (who gave a satisfied smirk) and heading over to the snack table. 

“Good evening Saihara,” the motherly maid said with a gentle smile, tilting her head slightly when he brought out the lemon squares,” did you not have time to bake your own? A pity, you're rather good at making them.”

Momota nodded,” yeah Saihara! You're lemon squares are the best!”

Saihara flushed and hurried off to the other side of the room. He was just in time to watch Shirogane walk in with her cousin and- presumably one of her cousins friends.  
“S-Sorry everyone, especially you Kaede. I- know I'm a little late. But Nagisa absolutely insisted that we pick up his boyfr-”  
“T-Tsumugi!” her 15-year-old cousin hissed stiffly, going as red as the hair of the boy they brought with them. 

Kaede laughed and kissed Maki’s cheek before moving over to Shirogane,” it's perfectly alright! Ouma’s here already, so the more the merrier!” 

“Well, that’s good for plain old me. Nagisa introduce your boyfriend!”

“He-he isn't my boyfriend-”  
The teen beside him cut in,” yeah I am. Anyways: my name is Diamon Masaru! Nice to meet all of ya’!”  
“Ugh-”

It cooled down for a while after that, people mingling until everyone got there. He only caught eyes with Momota a few times, though thanks to being fairly close with Kiibo, he couldn't escape Ouma. Of course, Kiibo knew of his brother’s antics all too well, and shot him down whenever he asked something too stupid. Saihara was really thankful for that.

Though soon, everyone had gotten there. Including Ryoma Hoshi, someone who almost never showed. He said that he was bribed with Kaede’s new cat, named Maple. Everyone knew that he would say that, so no one was surprised. Hoshi was a huge cat person, that was no secret to anyone. Not even to someone who had seen him like twice, in the case of Kokichi. It was time to eat at that point. 

“Aw man! I forgot how good HaruMaki was at cooking!” yelled Momota after everyone settled in Akamatsu’s living room to eat. 

“You're never home when I cook you space idiot…” Maki shot back,” and stop calling me that.”

Akamatsu laughed, wrapping an arm around her girlfriend,” Okay, now for the controversial bit. What should we watch?”

They watched a cheesy romcom. Saihara hated it, but he would never say that. And it was more just the fact that he disliked romcoms really. There was almost no personal reason behind it, seriously. He wasn't the type to hate movies just because of what was going on with him. 

People started leaving after the movie was over, but Saihara promised to stay and clean up. He couldn't take back the promise at that point, so he had to help. With five people working, it only took about fifteen minutes to fix everything up. 

“Thank you guys again for helping out. I really appreciate it!” called Akamatsu as Toujou, Momota, and Saihara began to leave. (Maki was obviously staying over)

They all welcomed her and then said their goodbyes. Though, as Saihara headed to his car, a moment he dreaded happened. Momota had caught up to him about three metres from his car. He froze in place at the sound of the other males voice. 

“Saihara, wait! I need to talk to you!” he called, grabbing the shorter males shoulder softly. 

Saihara shut his eyes tightly, taking a breath,” What?... What is it?”

“It's about what happened when I was sick-”

“Are you here to tell me that you hate me?” 

Momota didn't respond in words. He just turned Saihara around and… leaned forward. It happened so quickly that Saihara couldn't even comprehend it, but the astronomer pressed his lips against the detective’s. Saihara’s eyes widened and he let out a muffled squeak of surprise. Then, just as quickly as it happened, it was over. 

“I just wanted to let ya’ know that I felt the same. See you around Shuuichi,” Kaito left with a slight smirk on his face, leaving a cherry-faced Saihara frozen. 

He spent most of that night screaming into a pillow. Once again- he felt sorry for his neighbors. Yet he was far too flustered to fully care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly don't know what happened here. The second half of this was done all in one sitting and I'm sure it's trash. But I just sort of rolled with whatever the hell my mind came up with. I also suck at sick fics oops.


End file.
